We particularly like the Zoe's front end. The chunky badge, funky lines and sleek headlights deliver a clever, cute aesthetic

We like the glossy black door mirrors, coloured to match the glasshouse rather than the body

The seating position is high and can't be lowered...

... but there's good headroom and legroom

It's spacious for the class in the back

Boot is deep and a good size overall

The Zoe's exceptionally quiet

The electronics, electric motor and transmission are packaged transversely up the front

Charging the Zoe couldn't be easier, simply plug in the cable at either end

The EV does feel heavier than your average small hatch...

... but it's stable and directionally responsive

The stiff sidewalls of the eco tyres do little to help comfort

The Zoe represents an evolution, not a revolution, in electric transport

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If there is to be a global transition from combustion-engined to electrically powered cars, it has not thus far proved quick, smooth or particularly profitable for the car makers leading the field - so can the launch of the Renault Zoe change that?

The most viable EV to have undergone the Autocar road test so far is unquestionably the Nissan Leaf, yet it has proven a tough sell – limited not only by the inherent range dilemma, but also by an initially high asking price that pigeonholed it as an early-adopter extravagance rather than a truly mass-market car.

The Renault Zoe has more conventional styling than the bonkers Twizy, but is more visually appealing than the conservative Fluence

Renault's involvement in EVs is now extensive. Underwritten by the billion-pound investment made by the Renault-Nissan Alliance in an EV programme, the brand publicly kicked off its ZE (Zero Emissions) programme with a series of concepts that included previews of the Zoe the Twizy.

The commercial Kangoo ZE and saloon-shaped Fluence ZE entered production first, in 2011. The Fluence faltered due to the financial collapse of its battery swapping network, but the Kangoo was named Van of the Year in 2012.

With the Renault Zoe, the French half of the Renault-Nissan Alliance is attempting to break through. Its car, conceived as electric from the outset rather than adapted from a combustion-engined model, is supermini-sized.

It has broadly similar range and performance to the Leaf but, like most of Renault’s EVs thus far, will be part-sold and part-leased via a battery rental scheme. Which means that, with the continued assistance of the government’s EV grant, the Zoe can actually be had for supermini money.

So is the Renault Zoe a potential tipping point or a car still hamstrung from the outset?